Large enterprises, i.e., corporations, typically own several hundred or thousand printing devices, such as laser printers, ink jet printers, fax machines, copiers, plotters, etc. Since a large enterprise is usually divided into smaller departments for organizational management purposes, it simply follows that each department or organization has its own group of printing devices that it exclusively uses, distinctly separate from use by other organizations.
Management of printing devices owned by an enterprise is varied. In some enterprises, each organization handles its own printing device management, managing consumables for the printing devices, adding a printing device, removing a printing device, collecting usage data on the organization's printing devices, etc.
Some enterprises consolidate printing device management into a single department that handles, among other things, the tasks mentioned above. With this arrangement, the printing device management department can take advantage of the higher volume of printing devices when purchases for printing devices or printing device consumables are required. However, there is a tradeoff in efficiency when a single department handles the printing device management for an entire enterprise.
This tradeoff occurs in that it creates an additional layer of management, i.e., bureaucracy, to add, remove, replace, relocate printing devices in or between organizations. Also, collecting usage data and aggregating the data by organizations is more difficult and more time consuming. Additional human resource hours are required to accomplish these tasks and, as such, add to the operating expenses of the enterprise.